Anne Klein Cocoon Coat Vogue 1128

My family and I went to Scandinavia last summer, and when we were in the big cities, I got to snoop shop in some fun stores. One of the stores was Acne, and they had the most beautiful coats. A lot of them were oversized and a few were in this cocoon shape. The price tags on them were in the 1000 Euro range. So when I started thinking about making a new coat, I thought it would be fun to try this completely new to me shape.

Acne Cocoon Coat

I remembered this Anne Klein pattern from a few years ago- Vogue 1128. It's out of print now. There was only 1 review of the coat part of the pattern on Patternreview.com, and that review didn't have a photo, so that should have been my first clue that maybe I should skip this one.

Anne Klein Vogue Pattern 1128

I have mixed feelings about it. First of all, you can't tell this from the photo, but the fabric is really fantastic. It's a melton from Marc Jacobs and is really luxurious. I think that they called it mocha, which sounded delicious, but in reality is the exact same shade as a paper grocery bag.

Second, it is super comfy. I could wear this with a jacket underneath, or with tops that have billowy sleeves, and not get them bunched up like a traditional coat.

Third, I like the collar. It kind of naturally stands up in the back.

There are two welt pockets in the front.

I used a extra, extra large button- its' about 1-1/2 inches.

The lining is lavender with a gold oriental design. I've had it for years, and am crazy about it.

Now, for what I don't like- the dropped sleeves aren't a good look on me. They make me look dumpy. The color is horrible on me. SO disappointed in that, but it just washes me out. I pulled out these turquoise gloves and scarf to counteract that. I think that if I had chosen a black or a bright color, I would have loved it. But the color combined with the oversized look is not good.

Regardless, I'm going to wear it! It feels as nice as those 1000 Euro coats at Acne. I did learn some good lessons:
1. No more "mocha" no matter how delicious it sounds.
2. Don't use the really good fabrics on an untested style for my body.

I think that part of the fun of sewing is the gambling aspect of it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't!
Have you ever gone out on a limb to try a new style? What were your results?

Happy Sewing!

Ann

What to Wear in Madagascar

To be honest, I have no idea what to wear in Madagascar, and this title may need to be changed to "what NOT to wear in Madagascar" in a few months. We will have to wait and see. My 22 year old daughter, Alyssa, left for the Peace Corps this week, and she will be stationed in Madagascar for the next 2 years and 3 months. Yes, you read that right- TWO YEARS and three months!!! We are very proud of her for wanting to help make the world a better place, and for being fearless in doing so, but it will be a looooong time for Mama and Papa back home. Not knowing anything about Madagascar, the first step in figuring out what to pack was to figure out the weather and the cultural norms. Madagascar is a very large island off the southeastern coast of Africa. It's very, very unique in it's ecosystem, and has many species that are not found anywhere else in the world- most famously lemurs. Right now, it is experiencing it's rainy season, as you can see by the

Giveaway Day

The popular blog SewMamaSew is sponsoring a Giveaway Day! We are participating and would like to offer a prize of 3 SewBaby patterns! To enter, just comment about which SewBaby pattern you would like to win the most. We will ship internationally, and the prize winner will be selected randomly on December 6th. Make sure to leave a way for us to contact you if you are the winner! You will get to choose which three patterns are your prize!

Vogue 9305 Asymmetrical Tunics

It's April and we're expecting snow tonight. Have we switched hemispheres? Nevertheless, I am sewing with visions of warm sunny days. And for those warm sunny days to come, I imagine sitting in the shade with a light breeze flowing through the air, enjoying a light beverage with friends. Just close your eyes and you can imagine too. What would you be wearing? Well, I love a dramatic asymmetrical tunic made of the softest linen. As luck would have it, I found just the fabric in the "As Is" section in Fabric Mart's sales category. With just some irregular dye marks on the selvage, it was marked down, but still completely usable. It started out as a solid color, but I did an ombre dip dye process to get this look- more on that later! For my pattern, I chose Vogue 9305 , a tunic with a shaped hemline, and two styles of pants (I didn't make the pants). This pattern must be the biggest bang for your time possible. The tunic went tog

AnonymousNovember 20, 2012 at 5:27 PM
Ooh! The back of this is so cool! Lovley color on you, too!
Linda LNovember 20, 2012 at 7:09 PM
Nice coat. You did a great job and I love the lining
AnonymousNovember 20, 2012 at 8:21 PM
It's a beautiful coat! I think you've done a great rescue with the accessories to make you shine! I love the history of the evolution of this piece.

Brenda
UnknownNovember 21, 2012 at 12:08 AM
Oh, but I don't agree! The color looks "soft" (for lack of a better word!) and has a very rich look, plus I think it looks beautiful on you!!! The lining is gorgeous.

I have the same Marc Jacobs melton...same color. :)
MarthaNovember 21, 2012 at 8:17 PM
The luscious feel of this wool coat comes through in the pictures. It does look like fabulous fabric. I'm wondering about the shoulder pads used. I struggle with shoulder pads in a lot of my sewing so maybe that's just where my eye goes now. But I'm wondering if you would like it more with a more aggressive shoulder.

I do think the color is lovely, and will work with lots of different *pop* colors. The blue is a good pop.
Ann BrodskyNovember 25, 2012 at 1:26 PM
Thanks, Martha! The pattern didn't call for any shoulder pads. I did try it on with some 1/2" pads underneath, and didn't see any appreciable difference. The dropped shoulder goes out at least 6 inches beyond my real shoulder edge, so it may just weigh down any padding.
AnonymousNovember 25, 2012 at 2:05 PM
I love your coat and really want one for myself in purple. I agree that the colour is not quite bright enough for your hair and skin but your accessories punch it up. Have you checked out Dressing Your Truth to find out the perfect styles and colours for your "type"?
Because you look amazing in black and white you might be a type 4.
I dyed two coats last week. One came out great but the other was destroyed.
I wouldn't risk it with something you just made out of gorgeous fabric but
you could consider it for some other clothes you no longer like. Thanks for sharing. I'm off to find this pattern. Bea

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